Anti-Gravity Treadmill Training for Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s Disease

• Main Authors: José Fidel Baizabal-Carvallo, Marlene Alonso-Juarez, Robert Fekete
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: Brain Sciences
• Subjects: Parkinson’s disease; neurodegenerative disorders; freezing of gait; neurorehabilitation; rehabilitation; therapy
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/10/739

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor impairment. Freezing of gait, impaired mobility and falls are common problems in these patients. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a novel therapy for these patients. Methods: We studied patients with moderate to severe freezing of gait who underwent antigravity treadmill training twice a week for 4 consecutive weeks with 50% reduction of body weight. Results: We enrolled 26 consecutive patients with PD, 19 completed the study. There were 10 males; mean age at evaluation was 72.7 ± 10.1 years. Compared to baseline, patients showed improvement in the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (<i>p</i> = 0.001); and a mean reduction of 7 s in the Timed Up & Go (TUG) test (<i>p</i> = 0.004). Moderate or significant improvement in gait was reported by 84% of patients. Conclusions: Antigravity treadmill training improved freezing of gait and mobility in patients with PD.